Kimberley Park State School in partnership with Scripture Union Queensland provide the services of a School Chaplain.
Specific information abou the Chaplaincy program can be found on the School Chaplaincy website.
What do School Chaplains do?
School chaplains are active in promoting student wellbeing, particularly through the provision of pastoral care.
School chaplains encourage reflection about the spiritual dimensions of life.
School chaplains have an educative role in the areas of beliefs, values, morals, ethics and religion.
School chaplains work as part of the school support team to facilitate connection into the school network and wider community of students who are suffering from bereavement, family breakdown or other crisis and loss situations.
The services provided by a chaplain should be appropriate to the school and student context in which he or she will operate. Within this context, chaplains will be expected to respect the range of religious views and affiliations, and cultural traditions in the school and the community, and be approachable by students of all faiths. It is not the purpose of chaplaincy services to bring about or encourage commitment to any set of beliefs.
It is important to note that school chaplains cannot provide services for which they are not qualified, for example, counselling services or psychological assessment, or medical assessment.
The key tasks of a chaplain may include facilitating access to the helping agencies in the community, both religious-based and secular, with the approval of the School Principal.
The activities undertaken by school chaplains may include, but are not limited to:
Pastoral care
Providing guidance to students on issues concerning human relationships
Assisting school counsellors and staff in the provision of student welfare services
Providing support in cases of bereavement, family breakdown or other crisis and loss situations
Being readily available to provide continuity and on-going support for individual students and staff where this is necessary.
Spiritual guidance
Supporting students who wish to explore their spirituality
Providing guidance on religious, values and ethical matters
Facilitating access to the helping agencies in the community, both church-based and secular, with the approval of the School Principal.